Chapter 3: Beneath The Surface

The café door swung shut behind Raven as he stepped back into the street, the lingering warmth of his coffee doing little to ease the tension in his chest. The sky had darkened with thick clouds, casting the city in a muted gray.

His instinct stirred again—stronger this time, sharper.

Someone's watching.

Raven slowed his steps, his eyes flicking across the street, scanning for something out of place. The crowd was thinner now, pedestrians moving with purpose, heads down against the chill wind.

But there was no mistaking it.

He wasn't alone.

He kept walking, his posture relaxed, but his senses stretched to their limits. The buzz of his instinct grew louder, almost insistent. Not a threat—yet—but a presence. A constant hum just beneath reality's surface, hidden but waiting to pounce.

At the next intersection, he glanced over his shoulder, catching a fleeting glimpse of a figure across the street. Cloaked in a dark coat, head bowed beneath a hood.

The same man?

No. This one was different—smaller, lighter on their feet. Whoever they were, they disappeared into the alley before Raven could get a closer look.

His instincts tugged again, but this time they urged caution.

Not yet.

Raven exhaled, his breath visible in the cold air. He wouldn't chase shadows. Not until they revealed themselves fully.

He turned down another street, his eyes catching on something strange—a slip of paper fluttering in the wind, pinned against a lamppost.

It shouldn't have stood out, but his instinct surged the moment he saw it.

He crossed the street and snatched it from the pole, his eyes scanning the faded ink. A swirling symbol—the same sigil from the alley—drawn in precise lines. Beneath it, a single word was written in an unfamiliar language.

He traced the edges of the symbol with his thumb, a chill running down his spine.

"Coincidence?" he muttered to himself. Not likely.

As he folded the paper and slipped it into his pocket, his instinct shifted again, a new pulse of energy threading through him.

It wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

He walked away, the sigil heavy in his pocket, the wind picking up around him. This was no longer a game of subtle hints and whispers.

The city itself seemed to breathe with anticipation.

And Raven had a feeling he was about to meet the next piece of the puzzle.